A Little's Enough
by Persephone Choiseul
Summary: Heero Yuy, renowned model, has been found guilty of 3 murders. But he's escaped. Duo is a lowly temp who manages to just scrape by... and he's obsessed with Heero Yuy. Put the two together and you have a mess. Duo POV. 1x2 Language warning
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

A/N: Err… Yeah I'm still alive… and I'm going through a writing dry spell. I've been working on Lonely Day and White Shadows and everything but it's not coming along that well. This idea has been bugging me so I wanted to write it. Maybe a new story will help me start writing? We can only wait and see. Sorry!

And I guess I'm obsessed with Duo POV. It's just fun in his head. All weird thoughts and runon sentences and stuff. Hehe

Well... let's see if anyone likes this one...

A Little's Enough

Prologue

20th Jan 2008

Hello! My name is Duo Maxwell. I, my friends, am what is called a nothing. A nobody. I suck at everything I do and I don't care which makes me suck even more which makes me care even less and well… you get the point.

I am a temp. I do small jobs here and there where I get paid minimum wage by the hour and then going back to my dingy little apartment in the middle of no man's land. Yeah… that's what I call my area. Only prostitutes and smugglers and gangs live in my area. The apartment came cheap so I took it. Nevermind that half the time I can't open the door and have to climb in through the fire escape.

But I love my place. You know why? Because it's mine. It's a single bedroom apartment with a small kitchen and a small washroom. The living room I've turned into a bedroom and the bedroom into a studio. Why? Because I wanted it that way.

The walls have water stains on them, the bathroom does not get hot water and the stove cannot be switched on. Wait, that's a lie. You _can_ switch the stove on, but you'll burn the apartment building down.

My landlord doesn't give a shit, and frankly I don't either. It's not like I have enough money to _buy_ groceries which then I have to cook. Technically, that stove belongs more to the spiders living in the oven than to me. They use it more. It's their house.

I own three pairs of shitty but DAMN THEY'RE COMFORTABLE jeans. Two shirts and once jacket for those cold days. I have a bed, but if you do anything more than sleep on it it'll collapse. As it is when I sit on it, I feel the wooden legs bucking under my weight. Add anything more to it than my weight and it'll probably break down. I have a lamp. It works. End of statement.

I have a computer that is my life. I take care of it more than I take care of myself to be honest. Except my hair. I get the best damn shampoo there is for my hair. I love my braid. Yes, I have a braid. And yes I am a man. Why do I have a braid then? Because I wanted one. Fuck you.

In my spare time, which I have lots of, I paint. I suck at that too. The most expensive painting I sold went at twenty five bucks. The canvas and paints in total cost me about eleven dollars. I patted myself on my back and said 'good job, fourteen dollars profit.'

I have a couch. I sleep on it a lot. It's by far the most stable thing in my apartment. It can stand up to ANYTHING. Believe me, I've pretty much tested its limits and I've learned it has none. That doesn't mean it looks good. It looks like shit. Literally. It's brown with black burn marks all over it and it doesn't smell all that good either. But it works.

I'm twenty-one years old and going nowhere. I have one best friend. My dear old rich ass Quatre. He's a millionaire. He may even be a billionaire, never asked him. He has offered me financial help several times in the past but I refused. I have pride. I hate stepping on my pride.

I have one obsession. Mr. Heero Yuy. He's a god. A GOD! He has dark brown hair with the most amazing blue eyes and the sexiest voice. It's husky and deep and… yeah… it's my orgasmic heaven. He has a beautifully golden tanned skin and the most gorgeous lean body. He is also a model. He is also out of my league. Way, way, _way_ out.

I have his posters all over my apartment. I have every magazine he ever had a photo in. I have downloaded every interview he has ever given, which are not that many. He's a little on the quiet side. I suppose. I've never actually talked to him. Just obsessed over him. A lot. From afar.

I have painted him the most. Those are the paintings I don't sell, because I just can't make him look good in them. I suck remember?

Those paintings are my dirty little secret. I hide them.

"Hey Mac, anything for me to do today?" I said rather loudly knowing that old man MacDonald was hard of hearing. He ran a little pawn shop and he was an old, old man. He never told anyone his age but I'd guess he was a hundred and three.

"Oh… oohhh…" Mac drawled his toothless jaw quivering with the sounds. "Duo?" He squinted his eyes to see me better. "No, no go away. No work for you today. No work. No work." He said distractedly as he busied himself with staring at his collection of knick knacks placed rather randomly on shelves behind the counter.

"Mac." I said trying to get his attention again. "Mac? Mac! MAC!" I yelled and he tilted his head a little to show he was listening to me. "Let me do _something_! I'll dust the shelves! How about that?"

"Dust? You dust I pay and then it gets windy and dusty and the shelves get dusty and you dust and I pay and…" He kept going around in circles until I threw my hands up and left the shop, the bell above the door tinkling merrily at my departure.

Shoving my slightly cold hands into my jacket pockets I tilted my head down and watched the ground as I walked. This was my 'I mean no trouble' walk and it made me practically invisible as I shuffled along the damp and perpetually grey world. Even the sun refused to come out that day. I kept walking until I had walked all the way to the downtown area with the big shops and the tall buildings towering over sharply dressed men and women moving mechanically through the bustling city.

I loved the downtown. I would stand and stare at the tall glass buildings, the grey cloudy sky reflecting off the mirrored surfaces, the black and silver cars rushing down dark asphalt roads for hours sometimes. I went and leaned against a fountain that shot out jets of water in patterns looking ahead at a shop window which had TV screens stacked up in the display. The news was on. I watched disinterested until a very familiar face popped on the screen.

"Heero Yuy?" I said his eyes widening. I pushed myself off the fountain edge and walked quickly to the display window watching the news.

"Earlier this morning police apprehended renowned model Heero Yuy in his Mississippi Estate. He has been found guilty of the murders of international models Armand Zoucks, Loren Cross and Sang Walker. Mr. Yuy was the last person to see them alive and has been unable to come up with a suitable alibi as to his location on the night of the murders. The police have found clothes with the victims' blood on them on his property and he has been taken into custody. The trial date has not been set as of yet…" The lady explained and I felt faint. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have _killed_ them! This was ridiculous! And why would he kill them anyway?

The show cut to a footage of Heero Yuy being handcuffed and forced into a police van, the brutish police officer almost manhandling him.

I needed to do some research.

With that thought in mind I ran all the way home to boot up my computer and tax my sucky little dial up internet connection. A quick search told me the basics of what had happened. Turned out the three models had been murdered last week and Mr. Heero Yuy had been the last one to be seen with them. According to the mortician, the death had taken place at the time that Heero Yuy had been suspected to be with them. As of yet he has been unable to come up with an alibi as to his location at the time of murders. His clothes were found in his house soaked with blood and apparently he had resisted arrest.

This didn't look good.

Heero couldn't have killed all those models! Why would he?

I sat back pulling on my hair lightly as I stared at the small clip of Heero being pushed into a police car. Even in that tiny moment he could see the stubborn set of his shoulders as he refused to go into the car willingly. The police officer actually had to put a hand on his head to push him down into the car.

I felt a small smile playing at my lips at the clip even though I had no reason to smile. Heero didn't look like a pushover. Far from it.

Several weeks after that, the subject of the trial of Heero Yuy was on everybody's lips. He had denied every charge, claiming 'not guilty' for everything but even his lawyer had trouble proving his innocence and in the end… the jury had decided.

Guilty.

I had howled at the TV screens in the window display at the shop when it happened. I had watched the live coverage of the event, the cameras trained on the image of Heero being escorted out of the courtroom by police officers… and then it happened. As the crowd watched on Heero punched the police officer closest to him and dodged one that jumped at him trying to restrain him. He darted from person to person, running so fast that the police were unable to shoot him down. He dodged several more attempts to tackle him to the ground and he managed to break into the crowd. The people parted before him giving him ample space to run. The camera was only able to follow him as he disappeared into the trees beside the courtroom followed by a mass of police officers and the crowd going nuts.

I gaped, plastered to the glass that separated me and the TV screens.

Heero Yuy was being chased.

Heero Yuy had escaped.

Heero Yuy was a fugitive.

Oh god this was ridiculous.

* * *

A/N: So like it? Don't like it? Hate it? 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

A/N: I like this story! It's got me writing again! I even started working on the next chapters for the other stories, expect lots of updates simultaneously in the near future!

Warning: Duo swears a lot! As in A LOT!! Yeah...

Warning 2: There is some deliberately bad grammar in here, e.g., "I tells ya!" or "Me haves it" (which will come in the future) etc. It's put in there just coz we're in Duo's head and he's not going to have perfectly grammar. #grin#

Hope you like...!

Chapter 1: Peaches n' Apples

Posted on 23rd Jan 2008

I stayed in front of the electronics shop till it got dark, soaking up every news piece that covered what had happened to Heero. They had an alert running across every channel asking for everyone to be on the lookout for him.

People were being advised to 'not approach the target' and they were calling Heero 'dangerous'. It made my blood boil. He _couldn't_ have killed them!

For fear of sounding like a prepubescent fan girl I shall admit that I know nothing about him other than what is publicly known anyway… but still! He didn't look like that kind of a guy… you know… the murderous kind.

I was still plastered to the glass in front of the shop and people were giving me strange looks as they walked past. Fuck them. One old man was eyeing my butt as he went and I wiggled it in his direction suggestively. He caught the movement and stopped, giving me a sly smile patting his pocket.

Ah… he thought I was a hustler. I grinned at him widely and with a swagger to my step that came naturally I went towards him. Instead of standing in front of him I went right past him flipping him off. His pleased expression dissolved to that of surprise and then anger as I dashed away from him.

Evil sodomizing bastard.

He didn't follow me. Good for him. I slowed down as I came to a shopping complex. A small keening sound came from my stomach which slowly morphed into grumbling. Great, I was hungry.

Time for my twice daily check up on Quatre-baby. Catching a bus right there I headed down to the rich ass place. Where, ya know, the whole big rich people grow up with the golden spoon up their ass. Yeah… Quatre was different though. He was so sensitive he cried while watching lion king.

Still does… actually. In fact, just saying 'lion king' brings tears to his eyes.

I walked past the guards at the gate to Q's mansion, doing a little jiggle when they looked at me. They knew better than to stop me. I'd unleash a pissed off Q-tip at them. And a pissed off Q was a scary Q. Scary… scary Q.

"Rashid mah man!" I drawled when I saw Qutie's butler. "I'll have something with rice today!" He laughed and patted me on the head. I love this guy.

"Sure, it'll take a few minutes though." He said and I grinned widely for him.

"I shall be with the Q-ness. Temme where."

"He's in his room." He smiled at me one more time and headed back in the general direction of the kitchen… somewhere…

Hey, I still get lost here so… well…

I made my way to Quatre's room admiring the thick _clean_ carpet and the wood paneling on the walls, the number of paintings decorating the hallway, the thick velvet curtains adorning the windows… Quatre was_rich ass_ if you didn't get it by now. As in filthy, stinking, golden coins out your ass rich. Ahem… moving on…

I opened the door to Quatre's room slowly, quietly… like a _cat_! I was stealthy and silent as a shadow as I stalked my prey… slinking closer to the hunched form of one, Quatre Raberba Winner, pouring over his books as his exams approached… his defences right now… were none! Grounding my feet into the carpet I bent my knees preparing to launch myself at the unsuspecting little pale bony body.

"Qutie!" I threw myself on his blondness as he yelled at my sudden arrival.

"God Duo don't do that!" He panted putting a pale little hand on his chest. "You'll give me a heart attack one of these days!"

"If I do you can give yourself CPR and come back to life. Where else would your training come in handy?" I threw myself on his bed and started shuffling through the magazines he owned.

"Give myself…?" He looked confused for a second and then he got the joke. "Haha, very funny." He said sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at him before enjoying the soft sheets on his bed. In _his_ house, everything worked. And I mean _everything_. The walls were painted and shiny. He had a working TV that he could watch in the comfort of his home. He had a fridge that had probably never been empty and a _butler_. A BUTLER!

And his bed didn't collapse upon jumping on it. And he had a fucking wireless internet connection. _WIRELESS!!!_ How cool is that?!

So getting back to my original point, Q-baby is as rich ass as they come. Only with a heart of gold… which is rare. He wants to be a doctor just so he can help people get better, do his part in making someone's life a little more comfortable… and he is studying for it.

See Q here is in med school. And I always joke about how he's smart enough to get in there but not smart enough to get my jokes which always pisses him off and let's just say I'm very good at dodging flying surgical instruments.

"Did you see that thing about Heero Yuy?" I asked him as I looked at the centre-page fold of a girl in a very, very skimpy outfit. Yup, I'm still definitely gay. As gay as they come. Rainbow pride and Fairy wings and all that bullshit.

Hey… a guy's gotta remind himself of his sexuality sometimes. I don't get laid enough for me to remember by myself.

Make that – I don't get laid. Period.

"Hmm… yeah." He said distractedly. He had returned to the book that he was reading which may have been the creation of the devil himself. It had to have about five thousand pages and it was at least written in a font size 2.

"I don't think he did it." I threw the magazine with the girl in a skimpy outfit randomly; it fluttered to the ground a little bit away from Quatre. "I mean… why would he? He had no reason to."

"You don't know the whole story." He mumbled squinting hard at some small detail before exclaiming 'aha!' and scribbling down quickly. "… the distribution volume is 8000 litres means the plasma concentration is…" He continued mumbling to himself.

"I know as much as the next person and it makes no sense! He had no reason!"

"He had no alibi." He pinched the bridge of his nose lightly, his eyes squeezed shut as he probably ran facts through his mind quickly. "No alibi makes him pretty suspicious. And he shouldn't have run."

"Of course he ran! He was going to jail! He got life sentence!" I got up enraged. How dare this rich-ass-med-school-student-who-was-about-to-feed-me question Heero's integrity?

"He could have asked for a retrial, appealed to a higher court. _Given an alibi_. I doubt resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and then escaping would look very good on his file." He flipped his hand easily, way too confident with his little spiel. "You're just biased because 'he's hot'." Damn it he rabbit-eared the words.

"I hate you." I hissed at him just as the door opened and Rashid poked his head in.

"I have chicken and rice if that's all right." He said to me as he handed me a plate of the most delicious smelling food you have ever smelled in your entire life.

"Oh! Gimme gimme!" I extended my hands making clutching movements. He laughed, handed me the tray with the food, patted me on the head and left.

"You don't hate me now that I'm feeding you, do you?" Quatre said looking way too smug for his own good.

"Nope." I mumbled through a mouthful of rice. "Still hate you. Love Rashid though." I grinned at him and he laughed.

oOOo

I dawdled along the side walk watching the people in cars speed past me. I had used the last of my change to take the bus to Quatre's and now I had nothing which meant I was walking home.

Actually… that would be a lie. I had about… one, two, three… four pennies.

I spied a man counting bills in his wallet and then stuffing it into his jacket pocket… a very _expensive_ looking jacket if I do say so myself. Now I'm not a thief… well… not always anyway. But I _am_ guilty of a bit of slight of hand.

Yeah, fine. I'm a thief. Sometimes. It's not a trade.

Speeding up I bumped into the guy hard. He stumbled and I grabbed his arm in the pretext of helping him regain his balance. He never felt my hand slip into his pocket and deftly transfer the wallet to my pocket.

"Hey sorry man! Didn't see you there." I said sticking my tongue out in an exaggerated expression of 'oops, clumsy ain't I?'

"No problem there kiddo." He said and smiled at me. I immediately felt like a bastard.

Sighing deeply I pulled out his wallet. "This is yours." I handed it to him and his eyes widened. I just hoped he wouldn't call the police on me.

"Wow thank you. I didn't even notice I dropped it!" He said taking the wallet from me. I stared at him. How did he not notice me take the wallet out of my pocket and hand it to him? It was _obvious_ I had stolen the damn thing!

"I uh… well…" I shoved my hands deep in my pockets and decided I really should get going. This was not good. Maybe he just hadn't noticed it?

"Goodnight! Thank you again." He said before waving goodbye and he ran off.

I sighed watching him go already regretting not keeping the wallet. Just a few seconds after that I saw a man come running towards me, salt and pepper hair starting to thin, his bulging stomach jiggling with each step and his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. "C-catch him…" Gasp, heave, pant, "T-thief…"

I stared at him slack jawed, then I turned to look at the rapidly disappearing back of the guy I had returned the wallet to. He was running away as though he was being chased by the devil himself, crossing the road midway causing a lot of honking horns and yelling.

All I could do at that point was yell out, "SONOVABITCH!"

oOOo

I breathed in deeply, lying on my couch as the light filtered through mismatched curtains and one bed sheet hung over the windows. My nose wrinkled as the smell wafted out from the shitty couch. Something was rotting in there but I was too afraid to pick up the cushions to check.

And how long can it rot anyway? Once the food for the bacteria is gone, they'll die off too.

Yeah… I know it doesn't work like that. If _you_ wanna clean the couch that badly, be my guest. I'm happy ignoring it.

Getting off the couch I opted for a quick shower. Then it was time to go outside and look for a job. Any job. Preferably something that required me to stay dressed thank you very much.

"Hello Mr. Adams, how are you doing today?" I greeted the rather large spider that loved my bathtub. "I'm sorry I have to take a shower, I'll put you right back I promise." I lifted him up – I _think_ it's a him – and stuck him on the wall. He was used to this by now and didn't even bother moving from where I stuck him. Taking a quick cold – _freezing_ – shower I stepped out, returned Mr. Adams back to his place on the corner of the shower wall.

"Have a good day!" I said to him as I wrapped a towel around my waist. He moved his legs lazily in answer and I grinned at him, twisting extra water out of my hair. I twisted them into a makeshift bun and headed into the living room turned into a bedroom.

Changing quickly and braiding my still damp hair I headed out the fire-escape, jumping down the last ladder. The cold air hit me in the face like a bitchslapping ex-girlfriend and I cursed colourfully. It was getting cold too damn fast. My apartment had no heating and I hated the winters in there. The lack of a proper blanket may have something to do with that.

"Duo! RENT!!" A guy stuck his head out of the window near where I was. Oh great, it was _that_ time of the month again. The landlord was going to go all hormonal on me.

"What did the peach say to the apple?" I whispered to him, bringing my face as close to his as possible.

"Err… what?" He asked annoyed.

"SEE YA!" I yelled in his face and I saw him back off quickly from the loud volume. I ran off just as he started cursing me into oblivion.

I spent the entire day rummaging through garbage – oh look! Someone threw out a perfectly good pair of underwear! … Nah, I'm not _that_ desperate – stealing newspapers to keep up with Heero's news – Today, there were none. He's escaped and the authorities are going_mad! MAD I tells ya!_ – and then I managed to dust old man MacDonald's shelves. He paid me fifteen dollars for three hours of work. Slavery much?

Well technically, I _took_ three hours when it should have only taken half an hour. I'd only work while Mac was around which meant that I ended up piling the hours.

Yes! Fifteen dollars! Now I just need a hundred more and I'll have this month's rent!

I yelled out in frustration. Yes, I was screwed.

I kicked a can nearby as I glanced at the sky. It was starting to get dark and the wind was getting chillier. I shivered and tried to warm my hands by breathing on them. Damn my thin jacket was only good for keeping the wind and rain out. It did nothing for the old fashioned temperature drop.

Oh and it also made me look bigger – about twice as big actually – than I was which dissuaded a lot of people from attacking me. I live in a bad area remember?

I was walking along quietly down the darkening streets, just about to turn into the alleyway that held my fire-escape when I heard a yell and something crash, kind of like glass breaking.

Oh crap, trouble. I decided to keep my head down and keep walking when I heard a moan, a painful drawn out moan.

Oh double crap. Someone was being picked on. Normally I still walk away, but today I didn't have the heart to. I'll go see what the fuss is about, then decide if I will be doing the saving or the beating.

In either case, I'll need a weapon. I looked around me and noticed a wooden stick with the diameter of about an inch, an arms width long, lying a few feet from me.

That'll do _just_ fine!

Picking it up I swung it over my shoulder, letting it bump against my back with each step. About one alley down the noise intensified and I could make out actual words being spoken.

"Did you make the call yet? Do it! Do it!" A hoarse voice said, quivering with excitement.

"I am boss, but they think I'm lying!" A smaller voice.

There was the sound of rapid footsteps and then a loud thud. "Try and run away from me would ya? Make sure he's unable to walk." The first voice said bossily.

I heard the sound of shuffling feet and next thing I heard was a pained grunt. I slid closer to the mouth of the alley, my back to the wall. I peeked around the corner and saw a man lying on the ground, on his stomach surrounded by at least five goons. He was wearing an expensive suit, now matted with dirt and… blood? He was slowly moving his hands, putting them on the ground around his head and hoisting himself up before a thug standing next to him put a booted leg on his back and pushed down, foiling his attempt easily.

"He's still moving boss!" He said and the 'boss' who was a lumbering half giant with brains the size of a pea – I don't actually know this fact of course, he just looked retarded… no, _mentally challenged_ as Quatre would correct me…very painfully – looked at the man lying on the ground.

"Oh ho ho pretty boy! Got a lotta spunk don't ya?" He said to the shivering body. What the _hell_ was a guy doing dressed like that on such a cold day? I watched my breath fog in front of me. Yes, a very cold day indeed.

Deciding who's side I was going to be on I stepped into the light. "How about you let him go and I won't hurt you... much." I said my voice loud and clear. Now I shall point out one very important –_crucial_ – fact: I am a five feet, eight inches 21 year old male who weighs roughly a hundred and ten pounds… with all my clothes on. The lumbering half giant probably weighs… hmm… about three hundred, give or take a few hundred.

"You?_You'll_ hurt me?" He raised an eyebrow surprised by such a threat from me. He looked around at his goons and they all laughed. "I don't think so pretty boy."

Taking my make-shift weapon out from behind me I held it in a swing-ready position. "Come and get it ugly." I challenged.

In the darkness I saw one icy blue eye peak out from a mess of dark hair to look at me. The shadows prevented me from glimpsing his face but wow! The guy _was_ a hunk!

"Oh look, baby has a toy." They mocked and I bristled. "And is that a braid I spy? Or maybe the bitch has a tail?"

Maybe this would be a good point to tell everyone I am _not_ an honourable fighter. I fight dirty. I kick, punch, bite, scratch and pull hair. I also do a lot of kneeing the groin, kicking the groin, hitting the groin with everything hard… I do a lot to the groin, and none of it sexual.

As the first goon came towards me I stayed still waiting for him to get into striking range. "Maybe he just wants to do the dirty? Been lonely lately love?" He drawled.

"Yeah, real lonely. I was getting tired of fucking myself with a cucumber. Gets old after a while." I said smoothly. "But then," I glanced at his crotch very pointedly, "You don't look like you could fuck a rat so…"

He sneered at me and I knew I had him. As he thundered towards me I changed the angle of the stick at the last moment. The thug, who was expecting me to swing, didn't see me stab the end of the stick right between his legs. As he howled with pain and doubled over, the war was _on_.

In a rush of madness every goon there tried attacking me. I dodged all their hits managing to incapacitate majority of them through my dirty underhanded tricks. I did a lot of kicking, I tried to avoid biting but I bit one in the thigh at a point.

I was getting tired soon but I didn't let them see that. I swung the stick hard at the leader's head and it cracked, breaking into two pieces. Holy fucking mother of all hell I had just signed my death warrant.

"Oh shit." I said horrified as he grinned at me widely. I was surrounded, my only weapon useless and I was not strong enough to get away with hand to hand combat. "Look I don't mean any trouble…" I tried at a truce but it fell on deaf ears.

"Get him boys." He said and everyone surged forward. I yelped ducking and covering my head when I heard a loud 'bang!' Then… silence. I risked a look, peaking through my fingers. The leader lay in front of me, out cold, the tall shadow of the man he had been harassing standing behind him holding what looked like a crowbar.

"Step back." His voice was low, thick with exhaustion or pain I didn't know which. "NOW!" He yelled and everyone scrambled back. "Leave." He ordered and the thugs scuttled forward quickly and dragged the leader away, emptying the alley in seconds.

Wow, he would make a _great_ leader. He had such authority in his voice he made _me_ shake in my boots.

I watched his figure in the darkness of the alley, the crowbar fell from his fingers and he sank to the ground, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "Y-you okay?" He asked me and I nodded standing up.

"I should be asking _you_ that. What are you doing in this part of the town? Are you lost? I can lead you to the nearest bus station or the police station." I said stepping towards him. As I came closer I saw his face covered with dirt, a trail of blood coming from the side of his face down to his chin, soaking the collar there crimson.

He had a head injury. He needed a doctor. "Go away." He whispered before laying his head in his folded arms and closing his eyes.

"Hey dude! Don't sleep man, or you'll die or something." I said crouching before him, peering through the darkness at his lax features. The dirt was _caked_ there! "I can call an ambulance for you real quick."

"No…hospitals... please" He mumbled but he was falling asleep fast.

"Hey!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face and he looked at them lethargically. "Okay that's it dude, you're coming with me." I said grasping his hand, which was warmer than normal¸ and wrapping his arm around my shoulders, trying to bring him to his feet.

Well, he weighs more than me that's for sure. And I'm no muscleman to be able to haul him wherever a the drop of a hat.

"A little help here?!" I asked and he got up with a groan. I dragged him to my apartment which _thankfully_ wasn't far. I dragged him upstairs, aided only minimally by him and left him sitting in front of my door. Then I ran back downstairs, behind the building into the alley and jumped up on the fire escape ladder, dashing up three floors and then climbing in through my kitchen window. I went to the living room and prayed to the god I don't believe in that the door would open. I jiggled the lock. Nope. Stuck.

I took a deep breath and jiggled the lock with more vigour and it still didn't work. Getting tired I twisted the lock and kicked it hard near the edge. The frame of the door came apart a little and the door busted open.

"Come in!" I said and saw that the guy had slumped over and was lying on the filthy ground asleep. "Oh damn it!" I grabbed his hands and dragged him inside leaving him lying on the ground. I poked him with my foot. "Hello! This is no sleepy time ya hear?" I said rather loudly but got no answer from him.

I saw that he was rather pale – unnaturally so – under the mess of dirt and blood and he was shivering. I placed a hand on his bloody forehead and realised he had a massive fever. I dragged him to the shitty couch and dumped his ass there. Grabbing a first aid kit Quatre insisted I keep and a wet cloth I went to the living room.

That was when I noticed it. From this angle it was hard to miss the slowly oozing wound on his left thigh. And it wasn't oozing blood… there was pale yellow liquid soaking into the dark trouser and the wound itself was bloody and black in areas.

Damn, damn, damn, damn. He had an infected wound! This was out of my league… way, way, _way out_.

And you know when something is _that_ out of my league, it's usually within Quatre's.

I dashed downstairs and knocked on Bruno's door hard. "BRUNO!! OPEN THE MOTHERFUCKING DOOR YOU ASSWIPE!" I screamed and he opened the door looking bewildered.

"What the fuck do _you_ want?" He asked me and I got to my knees.

"I need your phone, please give me your phone! I need to make a quick call!" I pleaded with him even getting fake tears in my eyes.

"Rent first phone later." He said and started closing the door again. I lodged myself in between the door and the frame to keep it open.

"Listen you shitbag, if I can't make that call someone's going to die up there and I'm going to dump his dirt, blood and pus covered body right into your balcony you get that?" I said to him and his eyes widened. He grabbed the phone near the door for me and gave it to me.

"Keep it quick." He said but I could see he was worried that something had happened.

I quickly dialled Quatre's number. "Rashid! Quatre! Give me Quatre!" I yelled and I heard him called Q downstairs telling him there was an emergency. Can that man read me or what?

"Hello? Duo? What happened?" Oh bless his little heart Qutie was worried.

"There's a guy in my apartment and he has a concussion and an infected wound and he's DYING! Get your ass here!"

"What?! I-I'm not qualified, I can't treat him! I'll get a doctor and…"

"No, no, no. Get your ass here. Now!" Poor little Q bumbled a bit more before he relented and decided to 'see what he could do'.

A half hour later the guy's pant leg was cut off, the seeping wound being washed and Quatre had given the guy a bunch of antibiotics. Halfway through the fiddling and trying to clean his wound the guy woke up and we had to calm him down. He was convinced we were going to the police.

In his fevered state he told us he had been shot in the leg. Quatre's face paled.

"I am NOT extracting a bullet Duo!" He hissed at me in the shitty kitchen, out of earshot of the dying guy.

"Come on man! You can't leave him to die!" I pleaded.

"I won't! I'll take him to a hospital." He said before he headed into the living room. "Excuse me?" He said gently to the guy lying on my couch. "I'm going to call an ambulance okay? We'll get that wound treated the right way."

"No!" He said his fever-bright eyes opening when he heard the word 'hospital'. Quatre then proceeded to explain to him why it was impertinent that he go to a medical facility and the guy refused every time.

Eventually sighing, he told the guy he was not qualified but he'll do his best. He also had us swear we won't tell anyone he did this because apparently it's illegal for him to practice medicine without a licence or some such bullshit.

I won't explain the gory details of the events that followed. Not because I want to spare you some misery, but because I didn't watch. I disappeared into my studio as I heard the guy shout and holler and then moan for the next fifteen minutes. I also heard Quatre trying to sooth him. I also remember something about him not having any anaesthetic.

I am a sissy. I admit it.

I came out when Quatre said that it was okay now. There was a bloody bullet lying on some tissue paper and the guy's leg, bandaged tightly, was resting on all the towels I owned, soaked in blood and pus and well… other things I'd rather not name.

"Let's get him washed up." Q said tiredly and I nodded feeling faint from all the blood. Q helped me undress the guy – and what a body he had! Hubba hubba! – down to his boxers, covering him with a thin sheet and used the wet cloth to wash the dirt and blood off the guy's face.

As more and more dirt was washed I felt my eyes widening. I knew that nose, those lips, those eyes and that hair!

Goddamn and shit on a bun! I had Heero Yuy in my apartment! I had touched him! Helped him! _Undressed him!_

Last thing I remember was Quatre saying, "Oh my god it's Yuy. I just helped a felon!" And here comes sweet oblivion.

* * *

A/N: Yeah... Duo swears alot... 

Reviews!!! Thanks alot!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

A/N: Aaahh… see I was bored and I had five hours to kill and I ended up writing this and it turned out how I wanted it (for once) so yeah...

And of course, Duo's potty mouth is always on warning. Beware of tons of swearing. (See first line. snicker.)

Hope you like!

Chapter 2 - The Beginning

Posted on 27th Feb 2008

Holy fucking mother of all things unholy goddamned little… Heero Yuy was in my apartment!

And folks, that was my first thought when I woke up the next morning. Quatre stood a little bit away looking tired as hell and Heero – please give me a moment while I collect myself – _Heero_ was lying on my shitty couch probably asleep.

"How are you feeling?" Qutie asked me as I blinked at him and he realized that I was awake. I smacked my lips together to get rid of the weird morning taste in my mouth. The apartment was bathed in light streaming through the rather large windows and the chill in the apartment was overbearing.

Heero lay covered from head to toe in several threadbare bed sheets owned by me. Actually… I think those were all the sheets I owned currently covering him… how lucky were those sheets? I wish I was those sheets… maybe just a part of me… a very certain body part would suffice…

I cleared my throat to distract myself from all the random (not so random) thoughts running through my head. "Me? I'm super." He raised an eyebrow at my enthusiastic response so I cared to elaborate. "I have Heero fucking Yuy in my apartment in –" I reached out a hand and touched his hair, his head being the only thing poking out of the sheets, I shuddered at the contact. "- within reach!" I squeaked. "I couldn't be happier. No really, I don't think I could be happier." I said to him when I saw the disbelieving look in his blue eyes.

Quatre sighed quiet irritably. "Great. Now give me five good, and I mean_good_, reasons why I shouldn't call the authorities right this moment." His voice was cold and I gulped. As I opened my mouth with reason number one he interrupted me. "And saying 'because he's hot' does NOT qualify as a good reason." He narrowed his eyes at me and my mouth snapped shut.

Damn! That was my only reason! Time to think quick.

"Because… because…" I glanced up at him and his mouth was quirking in a half smile as he noticed me fumbling. Damn that bastard was smug. "Because he's the love of my life." I huffed and crossed my arms.

"That's not love, that's prepubescent fangirl syndrome." He shot me down.

And hey… did he just call me a girl?! What the fuck!

"Reason number two…?" He prompted me with a raised eyebrow and I sweated.

"He's innocent!" I said rather loudly.

"Yelling doesn't prove your point, and you don't know that."

"If you call the authorities I'll never eat over at your place again! You would have given up _moi"_ I spread out my hands to indicate myself, "and the precious, _precious _friendship that comes along with yours truly just for your beliefs!"

Quatre looked blank for a moment… then he laughed shattering what little self esteem I had to begin with. "Okay, okay! I'll have so much fun shooting this one down…" He muttered to himself happily while I fumed. "One – you'll starve if you didn't eat at my place. Two … well there is no two because you'd be dead." He smirked.

"I would so not die!" I said crossing my arms at my chest again. "Reason number four – He's hot." I stuck my tongue out at him and Quatre quirked an eyebrow. I thought hard for the fifth reason and then… genius struck. "And reason number five… I would _love_ to see you explain how Mr. Heero Yuy here has a properly bandaged wound and is on a course of antibiotics that technically he shouldn't even have gotten his hands on." I said smugly, my violet eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.

Then I needed to elaborate further when his eyes widened. "And how about the fact that even _you_ shouldn't have antibiotics on you? How about the fact that you stole those antibiotics from your pharmaceuticals owning dad? And then the thing about medical license and then the thing about your dad having said antibiotics at _home_ where anyone could get at them… take your pick." I laughed evilly, hoping my voice would echo to further add to the evil picture but the water soaked walls absorbed the sound.

Quatre paled. "For once in your life you make sense." Damn that guy insulted me, but I was too happy with my homerun to bother… or care.

"Uh huh… uh huh… now you think about that." I said to him before getting off the rickety bed and prancing to the bathroom to brush my teeth, shower and make myself pretty before jumping the pile of hunkiness currently drooling on my couch.

After putting Mr. Adams back on his wall I headed outside, I heard Quatre's quiet voice talking softly. I had twisted my dripping hair into a makeshift bun, shivering when the cold air in the apartment chilled me. My hands stilled when I entered the living room and saw that Heero Yuy was awake and listening intently to Quatre. At my appearance his gaze shifted to me and I felt faint with happiness.

He was sitting with the sheets pooled in his lap, his eyes a little dull but he looked much better than the night before. He had bruises on his face and were scattered all over his chest, disappearing down into the sheets.

He was… gorgeous!! Even more so in real life than he was in the posters plastered over the walls. Damn that man even made the purple bruising on his face and the dark circles under his eyes look sexy!

"Heero… Yuy…" I whispered before marching to him and throwing my arms around him, hugging him tightly and smelling his hair with a stalker's ferocity. I took a shuddering breath, he smelled like old blood and dried mud and an intense musky scent that told of several days' lack of showering. "Oh god, oh god my life is complete. I'm hugging Heero Yuy, I shall die happy!" And he smelled damn good! I didn't even mind the stale blood smell!

I felt Heero stiffen under my touch and before I could soothe his wounded soul with my boundless love I was hauled off him by an irate Quatre by the back of my collar. "Duo! Behave yourself!"

"No! No! Gimme!" I clutched my fingers desperately in the direction of Heero who was starting to look rather alarmed at my reaction to him. I struggled valiantly in Q-villain's grip.

"He's a fan of yours." Quatre said with a dramatic roll of his eyes and he swept his free hand to indicate the number of Heero Yuy posted on the walls.

"You… you saved me last night." At the sound of his voice I stilled gaping at him. Heero Yuy spoke to me! And… he _remembers_ me!

"I wanna kiiiiissss!" I whined reaching out to him again who pushed himself back into my shitty couch away from me. Quatre tightened his hold on me as I resumed struggling.

"If you don't start acting like a sane man _right this moment_ I will lock you in your studio!" Quatre hissed at me and I stilled. No locking please, thank you.

"Can I go sit next to him?" I asked him and Quatre sighed releasing me. I saw Heero flinch visibly as soon as I was free but I ignored it in favour of sitting down on the couch, mindful of his wounded leg and looking at him lovingly. I wished to telepathically let him know the depth of my love and devotion for him… words would be inadequate.

"Please excuse him, he's generally harmless." Stupid Quatre and his diplomatic ways. I ignored him for favour of scooting closer to my hero – Heero! - plastering up to his side just short of climbing into his lap.

"Yes I am your saviour!" I informed him grinning at him madly. Now he was on _my_ hunting grounds, in my lair! Insert evil cackle. "And I want you to stay here with me, I will help you clear your name as we spend night after night in my tiny apartment and you fall madly in love with me." I stated, nodding to myself.

Qutie giggled. He _giggled_. "Don't look at me I can't save you from him." He said to Heero and I looked up to see him sending a desperate 'save me' look. "And Duo," He looked at me, "Give the injured man some space. You know first hand how creepy obsessive people are."

He went and sat down on the bed next to the couch. I scooted a few inches away from Heero who sighed in relief. "Now Mr. Yuy, how about _you_ tell me why I shouldn't call the authorities."

Heero paled and I resisted the urge to hug him again. "I didn't do it. I'm innocent." He said quietly and I threw a smug look towards Quatre.

"See? Told you." I crossed my arms and smiled like a maniac.

He ignored me that little bastard that…

"I'm afraid I can't go on your word." He stated simply and Heero sighed, not looking surprised. "I won't call the police, but you can't stay here."

I gaped at him. "And why the fuck not?"

"Duo here doesn't have the financial stability to keep you here. You have to leave." He said and this time I paled. Then of course I got mad.

"No!" I got up quickly. "He's not going anywhere! He'll stay here and I'll take care of him and I'll do anything to make sure he has food and water and everything!" I said loudly.

"Duo… you have to come over to my place just to be fed… how are you going to take care of an injured man when you can't even take care of yourself?"

"I don't care! I'll take care of him all right? You go now. Thanks for patching up Heero but you should go now." I said grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the door.

Quatre pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh so _he_ was frustrated with_me_? Damn the world works in reverse sometimes.

He let himself be dragged to the door. "I've left some antibiotic pills on the counter in the kitchen. Just let me know if you need more, I'll snag some from Dad's cabinet. Make sure his temperature stays down and he doesn't open his wound. Don't get the bandages wet, change them frequently… and give him healthy, nourishing foods while he heals okay?"

I nodded and he turned to leave. "Hey Quat… sorry." I said to him quickly. He gave me a small smile in answer.

"Just don't be stupid Duo, okay?" He said casting a quick pointing glance towards Heero who raised an eyebrow. I shrugged at him.

"Don't worry about me." I said to him. I knew what he meant… and I didn't want to go there. Quatre pulled open the jammed door and stepped out.

"And be careful. I'm not convinced he's all that innocent." He told me, and turned to head down the stairs. I closed the door behind him and turned to look at the heavenly creature sitting on my couch.

"Now I have you all alone…" I rubbed my hands in glee in an imitation of a villain who had discovered the superman's kryptonite. "And you're unable to move." I stalked towards him planning on hugging him again. Just hold his head to my bosom and... whatever, you get the idea.

"I'm in not gay!" He said quickly holding his hands up in defence and my fragile little self esteem deflated.

"Damnit!" I said frustrated and all of a sudden I could see all my fantasies crashing before me. No more falling hopelessly in love with me as we exchange sweet nothings in each other's ears over candlelight on a stormy night.

So I read a lot of romance novels. Shoot me. I dare you.

He looked away and I sighed. Just like my luck to have hunkomania in my apartment and still be beyond my reach.

"How's your leg?" I sobered up and leaned against the wall across from him. I felt the paint flake against my back but I ignored it in favor of taking down my tangled hair from the messy bun and attempting to braid them as is.

"Better. Your friend, he's a doctor?" He jerked his head in the direction of his injured leg currently hidden under the sheets.

"No… getting there. He's in med school." I explained. "Are you hungry?" My mind flitted to the measly fifteen dollars in my wallet. That's enough for about two meals… I'll have to do something to earn more money than I have been if I was going to support Heero until he got back on his feet.

And this time, begging Quatre for a meal wasn't an option. Pride wouldn't allow it.

"He won't call the police?" He asked instead, his eyes already darting out the window as though waiting for the police sirens.

"Qutie?" I smiled at him trying to calm him down. "Don't worry, he's a softie. He's all bark and no bite!" snapped a handy rubber band on my braid and went sit down on my bed, stretching my legs out straight in front of me. "Now tell me what the fuck happened last night."

"They wanted to mug me, I gave up my wallet but they recognized me." He explained with a shrug and I couldn't help but notice the way his smooth skin moved over tight muscles. Just watching him was enough to give me a boner.

I nodded looking away from him. Breathe in, breathe out. You've dealt with hotties before, Heero's not that great… and he's not available.

"And the bullet wound?" I asked him trying to look anywhere _but_ him… which was difficult since I had his posters plastered all over the walls… in varying states of undress. My personal favourite is a nude shot of him posed strategically to hide all the good stuff. But_damn_!

"The police shot me as I was escaping… they don't know that I got hit." He explained as he shifted slightly. He still looked a little bit on the dull side, not to mention I caught the small wince he was trying to hide.

"Is your leg hurting? I'll give you some painkillers." I headed into the kitchen remembering only belatedly something about not taking pain killers on an empty stomach. "When did you eat last?" I called out from my shameful excuse for a kitchen. The last item of food this room had seen was a small box of crackers I had snagged from a convenience store about half a year ago. And by 'snag' I mean 'steal'.

There was silence in the living room so I poked my head in and repeated my question. He shrugged lightly – _Heero Yuy was in my apartment!_ – and then proceeded to pick at a loose thread on the sheets covering him. So he hadn't eaten for some time… which means he'll be hungry… no, _starving_ and I acutely felt the fifteen dollars burning a hole in my pocket.

Fuck I needed a job badly. Maybe I'll go con old man Mac again.

"He-err… Mister… Yuy…" I really don't know if he'll appreciate me calling him 'Heero' but 'Mr. Yuy' sounds so… weird!

"Just call me Heero." He said with an amused half smile and oh god I think I melted.

Resisting swooning, I squeaked out 'okay' and then cleared my throat in a very manly way. "Heero… I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back with food okay?" I informed him and he nodded. Then as I started turning to go into the kitchen I caught his confused look. "I go out the fire escape. Too much energy goes into opening the front door." I informed him and the surprised and weirded out look he shot me made me melt again.

Only Heero could look so damn sexy beaten half to death and battling an infection from a bullet wound. Oh hell I wanted to jump him so bad!

Okay… breathe Duo, breathe… think of old man Mac sucking cock. His toothless gums making smacking slurping noises…

I shuddered violently.

Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking!

Heero shot me another weird look and I stopped pulling at my hair to glance at him. Did I say that out loud?

"Err… I'll go now." I said to him backing up into the kitchen and then getting the hell out of there.

oOOo

I fisted the fifteen dollars in my hands and lurked outside a fast food joint around the corner. Healthy and nutritious… isn't that what Quatre had said Heero needed?

I looked at the money in my hands morosely. I doubt a couple of burgers would count as nutritious… but anything better would eat up those few bills faster than I'm comfortable with…

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. When it came to the next meal I'll do something, right now I'm going to get him something proper.

I head down the street bypassing the fast food place and went to the restaurant - _The Glass Orchid_ - that I had always seen on my way to downtown… this'll be my first time going in there. I shuffled outside the glass doors for a little bit unable to gather the courage to go in. I could see my reflection in the shiny glass and I looked like a glorified hobo.

I fixed my jacket self consciously, pushing my chin into the collar trying to keep the chilly wind away. With another deep breath I pushed the doors open and headed inside.

Okay… so now I was inside. There was some instrumental music playing softly in the background and there were people sitting around chatting happily. The place was warm and smelled like flowers and fresh bread and I found myself inhaling deeply enjoying the scent. A guy walked up to me when I didn't move from my spot for several minutes.

I slapped on my best, most charming smile and started saying, "Hi-"

"I'm sorry I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He said to me, his expression stony.

My smile fell and I found myself scowling at him. "I'm here to get food, just like all these people so I would suggest you don't talk to me like that." I said to him trying to keep my temper.

The guy smiled at me but I knew it was only for show. "I doubt you can afford anything at this fine establishment so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Fine establishment my ass! "I'm not going anywhere! Now give me a fucking menu and I'll fucking pay for the food like all these motherfucking people!" I swore at him loudly and he frowned at me.

"Security." He called and turned to leave. Next thing I knew two men in uniforms had showed up and I was thrown out of their _fine establishment_.

"FUCK YOU!" I yelled and banged my fists at the closed glass doors, flipping off the pompous ass when he turned to look. When he picked up a phone nearby very pointedly I punched the door again and ran the hell away from there.

I swore then that one day I'll have dinner at the _fine establishment_ and not give any tip. NONE! Bastards.

I kept walking down the road skipping the Chinese place coz I doubt Heero needed the greasy noodles that they served there.

Damnit! Heero needed decent food and I had no idea how to get him any! Frustrated when I couldn't find anything proper after an hour and a half of poking my head into every decent food place I could I sank down onto the sidewalk in front of the pompous _fine establishment_, my head in my hands.

Maybe… maybe if I could get someone else to buy food for me…

I looked around for anyone who didn't look like they were very busy. That's when I noticed how resolutely people avoided eye contact.

Holy, don't try so hard! You'll give yourself an aneurysm!

Bastards.

I got up when I saw a girl about my age hanging around. "Excu-" I started saying to her but she looked frightened of me and she hurried away. I frowned and shoved my hands deep in my pockets. I'm not THAT scary. I'll have you know I'm a very good looking man. Handsome actually. Gorgeous even.

Yes I know, I'll get over myself now.

Glancing around I saw a middle aged woman chatting away loudly on her cell phone and I swallowed at the amount of jewelry she was wearing and the very expensive looking handbag and shoes she had on.

I didn't even get a chance to open my mouth and she shot me a dirty look and I shot her a dirty, _dirty_ look - twice as dirty as hers. She looked surprised for a moment and then she pointedly walked away as well.

"Can_anyone_ help me?" I said out loud incredulously to nobody in particular.

Not expecting an answer I turned to leave when I walked right into a guy standing behind me. "I'll help, if I can." He said to me and I stepped back to look at him.

He was Asian… Chinese maybe… and he had jet black hair pulled back into a short pony tail and black eyes. He was dressed sharply in dark slacks and a steel-grey button up. "Uh… yeah… I have umm…" I shoved fifteen dollars in his hands and he raised an eyebrow at me but didn't interrupt me. "… money and my friend is very sick and needs healthy food but they won't let me buy anything from them and well…" I shuffled on my feet uncomfortably and then to my immense relief he nodded.

"Anything you want in particular?" He asked me, his voice smooth and silky without a hint of an accent. I stared at him a moment because damn, he was a fine looking guy. He had a slight hard line to his jaw that spoke of experience but a certain kindness to him too.

I shook my head at his question. "Nah man… just get me something good for a guy with an infected wound." I said and gave him a charming smile.

He nodded again and turned to walk into the restaurant. I watched from outside as he talked to the guy who had thrown me out. So… with _him_ he was all smiles and 'Yes sir' and 'no sir' huh?

Bastard.

Fifteen minutes later the nice guy walked back out with boxes stacked inside a paper bag. He handed me the food without another word and I smiled at him, this time giving him a warm, heartfelt one and not the cheesy grin I shoot everyone else.

"Hey, thanks." I said to him and he nodded slightly. "I appreciate it. No one else could be bothered to help."

He cleared his throat lightly and then started shuffling in his pocket for something. "Are you a local?" He asked me and I nodded at him. "Could you help me out?"

My eyes widened. Of course I'd help him! "Sure, sure man!"

"Have you seen these men?" He asked me as he pulled out two pictures. One of them was of the mug shot of a young guy, not much older than me, and he had half his face covered with a long bang. The other eye was crinkled lightly in hidden amusement although I wondered what he found so amusing about the fact that he was getting his picture taken by the police. The small board he was holding up said 'McQueen, Steve'.

I snickered at the name and he shot me a look. Steve McQueen! Ha! I like this guy!

"No, I haven't seen him before. What are you a cop or something?" I asked him, trying to keep my laughter in, as I studied the picture more.

He didn't answer me and pulled out another picture, this one made all the blood drain from my face and leave me slightly cold. I fought to keep the panic on my face from showing. It was a picture of Heero, looking gruff and annoyed in the mugshot... but still hot. Remember, he looks hot all the time.

I shook my head and he looked at me suspiciously. "Are you sure?" He asked me and I nodded at him. He didn't look convinced. He held out a card for me and I took it with numb fingers. "Thanks for your help. If you see any of them, call me immediately. Anytime."

I nodded numbly at him again and he waved his hand lightly in a form of goodbye and turned to leave.

Clutching the bag of food to my chest I noticed that it was a lot of food for fifteen measly dollars. Then I saw the crumpled bills at the bottom of the bag. He didn't use my money? Grateful to him I looked at the card he had handed me.

"Well I'll be damned…" I muttered when I read the card. "Special Agent Chang, huh?" I smirked when I thought how close _Chang_ had come to finding one of the two men he was looking for. And he had actually_ fed _Heero!

Then I realised something else belatedly.

The _FBI_ were on Heero's tail.

Fuck.

* * *

A/N: So all the Gundam Boys are now introduced XD Hope you liked!  
And I apologize for any mistakes. I only proofread it once.  
Review!  
Persephone 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say this again?

A/N: Sorry I was slow... I'll try harder to be faster with my updates.

Credit where it's due: betaed by the awesome **WCInsane**!

Enjoy!

Chapter 3 - Breathe

Posted on March 23rd 2008

Heero lay stretched on the shitty couch as I propped his leg up and peeled the bandage off the bullet wound slowly, peeking under to see how the wound was healing. The skin around it was dark and looked dead, peeling and scabbing. I scowled at it. The infection seemed to have receded, the thick yellow pus was gone and although the wound still looked somewhat raw, it was seeping clear fluid instead. The bandage didn't look like it needed changing so the first aid kit that sat next to me was rather useless.

His fever was gone, his skin the normal colour again. He was also starting to feel cold and I had loaned him some of my clothes. They weren't all that flattering on him. I am… uh… shorter and uh… thinner than he is. My largest shirt was stretched across his broad chest and too short, exposing his midriff. He looked very uncomfortable but he was willing to take that over being naked. Unfortunately.

The food that the good Agent had bought me lasted us two days. In an attempt to make it last longer I stayed away from it myself, choosing to return to the dollar menu at the local burger joint. Now I was starting to see how taking care of Heero while he recovered might be a bit more than I could handle. I mean… I worked my ass off yesterday picking up garbage from the street side and getting paid fifty cents per bag of garbage recycled. Those bastards hadn't told me how much money I would get. After four hours of breaking my back I returned home with two dollars fifty cents in my pocket, angry and frustrated. And maybe, just _maybe_ close to tears.

If you had told me just three years ago that I would pick up garbage on the roadside and then get paid two dollars fifty for four hours of work, I would have given you a new face. But life changes, and things happen… and sometimes you end up doing things you thought you would never do in your life… you swore to yourself that no matter how bad things got, some things you would never, _ever_ do. But you do them, when you have no choice. And I'm not talking about garbage picking.

Bruno has been on my case lately. He wants his rent. Can't blame the guy, but it doesn't stop me from swearing at him anyway. It also doesn't stop me from throwing garbage into his kitchen when I pass it in the morning.

Call it cheap revenge. I don't care. Right now the guy has a steady income and a good home. He has someone who takes care of him and actually waits for him when he leaves. Something I am insanely jealous of. I am so fucking jealous of him, I think I might hate him a bit.

He's married. His wife's pregnant. She's a sweet lady and she always gives me cookies if she sees me. Sometimes I get upset that I'm gay, because that means I'll never have a wife who will give birth to my babies.

But I try not to think about that. Instead… I try to think about Heero… if I wasn't gay I'd never appreciate the god-given beauty he has. Is it worth losing the possibility of a wife and kids though? I don't know. And I don't think I want to know.

"Did you eat yet?"

My head snapped up from my musings and I stuck the bandage back on his thigh, covering the wound. None of my jeans or pyjamas would fit him so he was fortu—umm… _un_fortunately forced to walk around in his boxers.

I'm just waiting for laundry day. Oh yes I am.

And I'm going to wash all the sheets too. And the towels. And the blanket. And maybe even the pillow so he has nothing to hide behind.

"Yeah I did." I answered him, a bit spacey. Damn I'm really spacey today.

"I didn't see you eat." He was frowning at me, and was it concern I saw in his eyes? Nah… must be dreaming.

"I did." I said again, wishing to deviate from the topic. "Does your leg hurt? I'll get you some painkillers if you're hurting."

His frown deepened but he didn't pursue it.

He had been living in my apartment for two days now and so far we've had a couple of incidents.

He nearly killed Mr. Adams. He went in to shower after I had the pleasure of wrapping up his leg in plastic to keep the wound from soaking. Then five minutes later I hear a shocked cry and I run into the bathroom to find him covering himself with the shower curtain – _damned lucky curtain, I wish I was that curtain – _and trying to smack the spider with a magazine I had left sitting on the toilet tank.

I'm not proud of the way I shrieked at him to 'leave Mr. Adams alone!' His expression though… hehe… priceless.

"You _named_ it?" He had asked me, his eyes wide open and surprise etched into every line of his face.

"I shower with the guy every day! Intimacy like that requires the exchange of names." I explained to him and after a moment of silence he had chuckled.

"Well, I'm not ready to share the same intimacy with it… _him_. Mind taking him out?" He asked me and I had stepped into the bathtub, inches away from Heero's naked skin, to take Mr. Adams into my hands and come back out again. I had cooed at him, trying to calm him down after the fright he had gotten. The poor spider's tiny hairs had been standing on end!

Being smacked to death by a _magazine_! The guy deserves a better way to go. Like bug-spray.

Not like I want him to die. Hell no. Other than Quatre he had been my constant over the past few bad years.

So that was a scare. I nearly lost my shower buddy. Heero seems to have a general problem with the spiders in my apartment though. He went all pissy when he found spiders in the oven. He started forcing me to clean it out. I told him the oven was their home long before I came here so technically they have more of a right to be there. He had huffed at my explanation and clearly didn't appreciate my idea of spider rights.

When I came back from garbage picking, I found the oven open, all the spiders gone and the one expired can of bug spray I owned emptied.

I had burst into tears over the death of Logo, Rhea, Sophie, Lisa, Brad and Pitt. Yeah… I'm creative. Shut up.

And not only them, he had destroyed all their little babies yet to be named too! They had only just hatched.

Bastard.

Hot, sexy bastard.

Hot, sexy, spider hating, baby killing bastard.

"My leg's fine." He said as he flexed his knee, wincing when the muscle probably pulled on the wound. "Your couch smells." He added with disgust.

"Yeah it does." I nodded. I hadn't forgiven him for the spider babies yet.

"Why?" Great, so now he'll go on and on about how we need to clean the shitty couch. Hello! It won't be shitty if it didn't _smell_ like it!

"How would I know? It smelled like that since the day I pulled it out of the garbage." I inform him distractedly as I rearrange everything in the first aid kit with meticulous care.

Honestly, I've never seen a man jump off a couch that fast. He didn't even remember his wound until he was halfway across the room limping from the cramp in his leg.

"Tell me you're joking." His voice had a pleading tone to it and I wished I could lie to him and tell him that I really am but somewhere deep inside, I was enjoying this.

"Nope." I said shaking my head. "And you've been sleeping on it." I pointed out oh so helpfully.

"Did you at least _try_ getting it cleaned up?"

"Why bother? It's fine as it is. Just plug your nose and it's as good as any other couch." I shrugged at him. It's only a little smell! It's not really such a big deal!

"You're disgusting."

"No man, _you're_ the one who's been sleeping in it." I said with a smug look.

Okay I know what you guys are thinking. Heero Yuy, renown supermodel, in my apartment, the subject of my wet dreams… and I'm talking to him like this? Okay, so the guy's hot but he bitches way too much!

He makes a horrible roommate. So forgive me for being a smartass to him when I'm not gazing upon his godliness. When I am though, all motor functions shut down and sensory overload usually follows.

In response to my remark Heero makes this face… _this face_ that just has me rolling on the hardwood floor laughing my ass off. He looks like he wants to rip his skin off himself.

"Hey look, I've been living on that couch for close to two years now and I haven't gotten anything." I said, attempting to placate, but the unsaid _yet_ hovered between us and it didn't make it all that comforting.

"That doesn't make me feel all that much better." Heero said looking faintly green and I wondered if he was going to get sick on the floor right there, or if we had enough time to haul his perfect little ass to the bathroom. He rubbed his face tiredly, his hand lingering over his eyes as he seemed to take deep breaths. "I can't wait till this blows over and I have my place back." He muttered but I heard every word.

"Buddy, this isn't so bad. If you really hate it so much here go sleep in the alley okay?" I said affronted, momentarily forgetting that I was talking to the subject of my wet dreams. But don't worry, the realization came only seconds later and I smacked myself mentally. "Uh… I didn't mean…"

He looked contrite for a moment and then he held his hands up in a surrender position. "I'm sorry. All I meant was that…" He waved his hand generally over the hitched up shirt, the two day old boxers and the shitty couch. "… just…" He didn't seem to have words but I understood.

I nodded. I needed to get him clothes. I needed to trade my bed with the couch and I needed to keep getting him proper food. I realised that he was a rich ass; he had million dollars houses and several cars. These living conditions must be driving him insane… but his complaining about the spiders and the grime under the sink and in the bathtub gets on your nerves eventually.

Oh and let's not forget the shitty smelling shitty couch. Damn good looking spoiled ass.

Maybe… Quatre would be better suited to taking care of him… but he's such a big shot that Heero Yuy in his house will get arrested immediately.

Fuck I need money.

"Take a shower. I'll go get you some clothes." I said to him and he nodded, looking slightly guilty at having been caught complaining. "Don't worry about it. I understand." I said to him, flashing him a wide grin and he smiled just a little, fake but better.

By the time he went to the bathroom, I was slipping out of the kitchen window onto the fire escape.

"Hey Melinda, cookie?" I asked when I saw Bruno's wife, heavy with pregnancy, shuffling about in the kitchen. She jumped a little, surprised, but then she turned and smiled warmly at me.

"Duo… Bruno told me to give you something, in case you dropped by." She said as she opened a cookie jar sitting on a shelf and handed me a chocolate chip cookie. My favourite!

"Mmmhmmm…" I mumbled around the cookie. My stomach had been quiet so far but as soon as I had the sweet treat in my mouth it reared its ugly head. Shut up stupid organ! "What is it?" I asked her instead.

She nodded, holding up a finger telling me to wait and then she left the kitchen for a minute. When she came back she had an envelope in her hand with 'Duo' scrawled on the front. She handed it to me and I smiled at her.

Thanking her for the cookie I said bye and left the alleyway, heading towards the slums. They had all the odd jobs that didn't ask for a fucking degree. Curiosity gripping me, I tore open the envelope and looked inside.

It was a letter… a notice of eviction.

The cookie turned into lead in my stomach and I felt a cold chill sweep over me.

My apartment… my home… he was going to take it away from me! I had a week to hand in the rent or…

I have Heero to take care of… he's still healing and he is on the run… I have to get clothes and food and now I have to pay the rent…

A week… one measly week.

I pulled out my wallet and peaked in. I had five dollars. I took a deep breath and closed it again. I can't… I can't use those.

I'll skip lunch… that's all. It's just one stupid lunch. Won't kill me.

I leaned against the brick wall of a building nearby. Clothes… I can't afford anything better than Goodwill for Heero… even then I'll need to get him at least two shirts, two pants and something to sleep in. I'll need to get him boxers and I need to buy another blanket for him. I need to bring him lunch today, there's only rice leftover and it's not enough to fill him up.

I need a hundred and fifteen dollars for the rent in a week.

Fuck. I need close to two hundred dollars… stretching it. And I need them quick.

I thought hard. There were only a couple of jobs that could pay like that… and none of them were good. But if I did just one job… maybe…

I shook my head. There's no point going there. I swore I won't go back to those 'jobs'. Suddenly an image of blonde hair and blue eyes flashed in front of my eyes and I shook my head again. Quatre… if I talk to Quatre he'll fix everything… there will be food and the rent paid and clothes bought…

But… Heero's my responsibility… and Quatre said he didn't want to aid a felon any more than necessary. I don't want to jeopardize his future just because I bit off more than I can chew… But one phone call can't hurt… can it? Just this time! I swear I'll get my act together after this!

I swallowed thickly, pushing down on the overwhelming feeling of _useless_ that crept up on me.

I have to try. If by the end of this week I don't have the money I'll ask Quatre… just, not yet.

oOOo

I walked back to my apartment, happy and excited. I had thirty-five – _thirty-five_ – dollars in my pocket right now, which added to the five from earlier made forty! I had forty bucks!

I had gotten a lucky break. A festival was coming to town and they were looking for volunteers to help out. Hell, I don't have time to be a volunteer so I approached the guy, told him that I'm willing to work my ass off but I can't do it for free.

He handed me a hundred flyers or so and told me to plaster them all over the city. Then he had me put up decorations, and a dozen other tiny things. He had paid me minimum wage, but more than I get normally. For five hours of work I got thirty-five. If they had let me, I would have worked five more but they said they had to leave now. Work was done. The festival would start in a couple of days.

Filled with glee I looked into my wallet, seeing the twenty there. I haven't seen a twenty in so long it looked foreign and out of place in my wallet. Smiling widely to myself I turned the corner into the darker streets. I was still quite a bit away from my place but I didn't care much. The growling in my stomach had faded into a dull ache which I was able to easily ignore.

I hummed slightly to myself, enjoying the cool crisp wind in my face when someone slammed into my side, sending me hurling to the ground.

"Watch it you ass!" I yelled from my position on the ground and saw a tall man, like really tall, looming over me. He was wearing skinny jeans, a dark hoodie and his hair were swept over half his face in a strange unibang. His one exposed eye sparkled in slight amusement even though the rest of his face was expressionless. His face tugged on my memory strings but I was unable to remember where I had seen him before.

He didn't say a word and before he turned to leave he shot me a smirk and then darted down the street. I shrugged and got up, stuffing my hands into my pockets and resumed walking before I realised –

My wallet was gone.

Cold, sweeping fear mixed with anger swept through me a second time today and I glanced at the rapidly retreating back of the tall guy.

"No, no, no, no." I chanted, first under my breath and then louder as my panic increased. "Please, please, no, no, no, no, don't do this to me." I stood frozen as his back got smaller and smaller. A sudden burst of panic and adrenalin caused me to dash after him, yelling at him to stop and to give it back.

I ran and ran after him, weaving into the narrow alleyways behind him and he started shooting me confused looks over his shoulder. He expected to have lost me by now but I needed my wallet back! I really, really did.

It lasted maybe in total five minutes of chasing but my legs felt like they were on fire and my lungs were ready to explode. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it would hammer itself out of my chest and spots were starting to swim in front of my face.

"Please give it back." I said again, weakly as I stumbled to a stop. Strangely he did too, although he was too far for me to grab him. Even if he had been near I don't think I had enough energy to do anything.

Nausea crept up on me so quickly that a moment later I was dry heaving onto the alley dirt, my stomach and throat convulsing, forcing hot acidic bile up and out. When I thought I was done, I straightened up but was hit by a wave of dizziness that had me swaying in place. Just as I wobbled there was a slight touch on the small of my back and another on my arm, guiding me to a pile of cartons stacked on the side I hadn't seen earlier. I was lifted up onto a carton, sitting with my back against the wall.

Slowly opening my eyes I saw his honey-brown hair swept to the side and the familiar eyes again. "Steve McQueen?" I asked narrowing my eyes as I recognized him. He was the guy from the photo the good Agent had shown me.

The guy smiled when I said his name and then he was gone, dashing out of the alley. My eyes snapped open and I made to jump off the carton to run after him again but as soon as my feet touched the ground the world tilted and I fought to keep myself upright.

I put one hand against my forehead trying to get some semblance of up and down and with the other I leaned against the wall. I have no money again. The bastard stole it all from me. I have no money, no food and no clothes. I felt like puking again but I swallowed several times to keep the feeling down.

_Useless._

I stuffed my hands into my pockets, resigned to going home and just curling up on the couch, when my hand brushed against warm fake leather… old and familiar.

Disbelieving, I pulled the wallet out, turning it this way and that. It was my wallet. I opened it, and my money was still in there. Relief, so strong, washed over me that I sagged down to my knees in the dirt, chest heaving. I laughed then, just little chuckles which then turned into full blown laughter.

"Oh thank god…" I whispered, cradling my wallet to my chest. "Thank god."

Still jittery with relief I went to the nearest convenience store and grabbed a couple of instant noodle cups and then grabbed a pair of cheap sweatpants in what I guessed to be Heero's size from the clothing store across the street from the convenience store.

When I got home I ignored Heero's questions about my health – apparently I was pale and twitchy – and made him a steaming cup of instant noodles, handed him the sweatpants, before I fell on the couch in a dead faint.

Heero took the bed that night.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked! Review please? Thank you!!

Until next time,  
Persephone


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nada.

A/N: Thanks to **WCInsane** for betaing this, for content advice AND being so incredibly patient with me! Also thanks to **cjmarie** for help with the finer points of the plot. This story would reek if she hadn't helped me out! All mistakes are mine.

A/N 2 - Warnings: Bad Language, as usual, and LENGTH! This is a long chapter folks, couldn't stop writing.

Hope you like!

Chapter 4 - RIP Shitty couch

Posted on 13th April, 2008

Heero Yuy had an appetite. A big one. Now I don't know if that was because he was injured and healing… or if he just ate that much _normally_. I mean, no average man can down three cups of ramen noodles at once. I have trouble finishing _one_. Which works out for me since then I can stretch one cup to cover two meals… but _three_? The man's a monster!

I had twenty bucks left from my stash of forty from the other day and suddenly I realized that I may very well end up spending it on _food_ of all things! Money aside, living with Heero Yuy wasn't all that easy either.

Like, right about now.

"Seriously, when was the last time this place saw a broom?" He huffed at me and I stuck my lower lip out and blew on a strand of hair that had fallen on my nose in annoyance.

"Recently enough." I said to him and resolutely ignored a dust bunny the size of a tumbleweed roll by between us. Heero gave me the bitch-face; the one where he narrowed his eyes, jutted his chin out and thinned his lips into this stony expression. I sighed. "Recently _enough_." I stressed again. His eyes narrowed further and his chin jutted out more and his lips thinned even more and I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Fine! I'll borrow a fucking broom from fucking Bruno so you can calm down your fucking OCD!"

"Keeping the place habitable is _not_ OCD!" He retorted.

"No? OCD is when you kill thousands of baby spiders! _Innocent_ baby spiders!" I shot back at him. "What did the innocent little baby spiders barely hatched ever do to you?"

"They were living in your _oven_!"

"And it was being used more _then_ than it is _now_!" I said to him, crossing my arms smugly when he gaped at me.

"You're unbelievable." He said with a sort of resignation that probably came at the end of the five stages of grief or something.

"Why thank you." I said to him, mock bowing and he shot me the bitch-face again. "Now if you'll excuse me _honey_ I'll go borrow that broom so you can clean the house like a good little wife while I go earn us some chow." I said to him and his bitch-face worsened. "Oh don't make that face… it'll get stuck that way."

In a fit of anger he grabbed the shitty couch's cushion and threw it at me before I could warn him against it. See, the logic is that unless you don't know what's rotting under there the smell is bearable. Now that he has ripped the cushion off, the hidden sinister contents of the shitty couch were exposed and even _I_ fought to keep myself from gagging.

"Oh _shit_." I said eloquently as Heero turned green and took several steps away from the couch. I, on the other hand, stepped forward to finally see what could make such a disgusting smell. The moment of revelation was short lived when I realised it was beyond recognition. "What the hell is that crap?"

It was black, for one, and it was kind of chunky. It was a big splat in the form of a coffee spill… and it had little green circles scattered sporadically all over it. _Damn_. I knew a bacterial infestation when I see one and _that_ was not hygienic.

I heard a thump behind me and I saw that Heero had dropped the cushion still in his hands as he noticed the same colonies growing on the underside of it. "Oh god." He choked out and then hobbled quickly to the washroom to empty his stomach out.

Great. Now he'll be hungry in a little bit again.

I rolled my eyes at him and mumbled 'such a big baby' none too quietly as I passed the bathroom and he glared at me from his position bent over the toilet. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. I went into the studio and grabbed the dirty laundry from there, picking up Heero's sweater too. I frowned at the sweater. That little, thin grey sweater had caused more problems than I would have foreseen when I picked it out in Goodwill for a ridiculous three dollars. Turns out, Heero knows a three dollar sweater when he sees one and he hadn't looked all that happy at having been presented with it. I distinctly remember him muttering speculations about the sweater's whereabouts before reluctantly shrugging it on. He had then pointedly scratched himself and complained about the itchy material enough that had I told him to go fuck himself.

Honestly, what does the guy have to do these days to get a little fucking gratitude? Bastard.

And he should be thankful I didn't just get him just _one_ sweater I also picked up a light blue tee for him which looked too large on him but I didn't care. Hey, it was only a dollar fifty.

So aside from our constant fights – who would've known Heero Yuy was such a little bitch? – I also had to worry about the eviction notice hiding in my closet. It was like it had it's own presence, a black hole in the apartment that hummed and whined a high keening sound constantly. I didn't have enough money and I had about five days to secure a hundred and fifteen dollars. I was getting just desperate enough to call Quatre up for monetary help. Pride be damned.

And don't think I didn't choke when I found out exactly how much Mr. Heero Yuy was worth when handed over to the cops. Fifty thousand dollars. Just like that. That easy.

Fifty thousand fucking dollars.

I was sitting on fifty thousand dollars. Well not _literally_. Although I wish. But living with him is making me rethink my obsession with him. Ya know the whole deal with not judging the book by its cover? However, what exactly _do_ you do when the fucking cover is made of the shiniest, smoothest and just plain mesmerizing paper? You buy the damn book, that's what.

So what I'm trying to say is, I'll happily hump his leg – or other parts – if he'd let me. Personality, and bitchiness, be damned.

"Laundry!" I shouted, grinning like a mad man. Well, it's about time to take the cover off, isn't it?

"No." Came the voice from the doorway and I saw Heero leaning against the doorway, the afternoon sun filtering through the dust clogged windows to bathe him in a golden light. It accentuated every sharp angle of his body hidden under the tattered blue shirt, the curve of his strong arms and put the features of his face in sharp contrast. Damn but if that guy wasn't gorgeous. I felt my mouth going dry and I swallowed several times to get my salivary glands back into working order.

"No?" I said to him, trying to keep myself from drooling at him now that my saliva was flowing freely again. "You want to run around in dirty clothes, be my guest." I said to him, trying to goad him into getting naked.

"We're getting rid of the couch first." He said and turned around to go into the living room. My eyes widened and I darted out after him.

"Don't you dare touch the couch!" I threatened him but froze when I saw him holding a knife over the couch. "No, no don't slash the couch! What are you _five_?!"

Heero raised an eyebrow and then very pointedly stabbed the couch, several times while I howled with phantom pain. "Stop! What has the couch ever done to you?!" I wailed at him and he ignored me.

When the couch lay in tatters, he finally stopped. "Now you can't use it." He said smugly and then held out his hand, curling his fingers inwards in the universal gesture for 'come here'. "Help me put it outside."

I whimpered but then decided to grab the edge of the couch anyway and help him push the poor beloved shitty couch out the front door and down the stairs. Dragging it out of the building and into the alley behind it, we let it sitting in front of the large garbage bins. My poor little shitty couch!

Deed done, I sprawled on the couch, hugging it, apologizing to it for abandoning it like this. It had been a good couch, seen me through good, bad and ugly. It had been a constant, always smelling shitty, always sitting in the corner of the room making the entire room reek… now what will cause the apartment to have that extra ripe smell? Nothing I tell ya! It'll smell… _clean_… for god's sake! Ugh!

Okay fine, so I'm being overdramatic but the couch really had grown on me. Maybe even literally. Who knows?

Trudging back up to the apartment I bumped into Heero none too gently several times. I didn't even notice his more pronounced limping, so mad was I. The living room looked way too empty without the couch, and it suddenly didn't smell right. It smelled like… dust… and that's it.

Unfair man. Totally unfair. It doesn't even smell like _home_ anymore dammit!

Bastard.

In my pissed off state I shoved Heero _hard_ when he wasn't expecting it and he stumbled a bit but didn't fall. "Happy now?" I snarled at him and he threw me a shocked look. Gritting my teeth I pushed him again, but this time I tripped his good leg causing him to lose his balance and fall down, his bad leg slamming against the bed.

He hissed with sudden pain and clutched at his leg, sitting down on the ground beside the bed. He had his eyes closed and his lips pressed in a hard line. I instantly felt bad and started reaching for him. "Hey man, I'm sorry." I said softly, the guilt eating at me when he shook his head and slapped my hand away. "You okay?" I asked him but instantly felt stupid for asking. Here he was obviously in pain, caused by me, and I was asking him if he was okay.

He exhaled slowly through his mouth and pressed harder on the wound on his leg which had just began closing up properly. "Here, let me look at it." I asked, trying to pry his hand away from his leg but he kept swatting my efforts away. "Dammit Heero! Just let me…"

"Stay away from me." He growled at me and I snatched my hand back. "I'm sorry I'm trying to make your living conditions a little better. I've learned my lesson." He said to me through his teeth and then braced himself against the bed and tried to get up, putting all his force on his left leg, favouring the injured right. Slowly he leaned against the bed, straightening his injured leg with a wince and rubbing the flesh around the wound.

"I'm sorry…" I said choking on the guilt. It had seemed like such sweet revenge to hurt him for hurting my couch but now I just felt petty. When he didn't answer I went into the kitchen and made him the last of the ramen noodles, bringing two pain pills with me. I handed him the noodle cup quietly and he just stared at me. "You can't take painkillers on an empty stomach."

He shot me his bitch-face but took the cup anyway, putting it aside. Instead he just dry swallowed the pain pills. I realised that he probably didn't feel like eating while his leg was in agony but it still hurt to see him dismiss it that easily. I reached for the hem of his sweatpants pulling it up. Surprisingly he let me and I pushed it all the way up to expose his wound. I looked at the bandage covering it and it didn't seem to be bleeding. Thank god for small favours.

"It's not bleeding." I said to him and started kneading the surrounding flesh. "I really _am_ sorry." I said to him looking up at him only to find him staring at me, his bitch-face gone. "What?"

"Are you groping me?" He asked me and I stilled, glancing down at my hands that were kneading earlier but now were definitely groping. My fingers twitched with realization, digging into firm, sculpted muscle and I swallowed thickly again, my mouth going dry again. Unconsciously my fingers tightened again, cataloguing the difference between the feel of his strong, muscled thighs and my own scrawny, thin ones.

"Umm…" I responded eloquently. "Yes?" I offered with a half smile. His lips twitched with the effort to stay angry and then he smiled, looking away. "I take it the pills are starting to kick in?"

He grunted but there was a mild blush dusting his cheeks now. "You're still groping me." He said.

I grinned fully this time. "Yes I am." And then pointedly slid my hands down sinewy flesh to grasp his calf and then pushed back up again, brushing the underside of his knee and then curling around the strong muscle on the back of his thigh.

Oh god I was in heaven.

My mouth watered with the urge to kiss the path my fingers hand taken and I felt myself break out into a sweat. I maintained eye contact with him as I dared to push my hand further up his thigh. He grabbed my wrist holding it in place and I flushed with shame and disappointment. I snatched my hand away, clearing my throat as I tried to collect my bearings again.

"I'll uh… go… get some more food… and money… and stuff…" I said nervously. "You're umm… feeling better right?" I asked him and he nodded once, looking thoroughly amused at my discomfort. "Right. Then I'll be uh…" I gestured randomly in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll be going out the… the…" What was that word again? I mean… what was it?!

"Fire escape?" He supplied oh so helpfully.

That was it! "Right! Fire escape. I'll go now. Buh-bye." I waved my hand and almost ran into the kitchen and jumping out the window onto the creaking metal. _Buh-bye_?! What the hell was _wrong_ with me?

I flew down the fire escape stairs and then jumped down the last ladder. The wind was chilly, moisture heavy in the air and the ground soft and damp. It was going to rain soon, judging by how fast the cloud cover was moving in.

I zipped up my jacket all the way to my neck and stuffed my hands down my pockets, controlling a shiver. I headed towards Old Mac's Pawn Shop hoping to do something indoors. As I passed a convenience store I saw a 'Now Hiring' sign in the window and I felt hope and worry creep up my spine. I walked in and asked the girl at the cashier's about the job. She asked me to leave a resume and I thanked her, feeling deflated.

I didn't have much of a resume… well actually, my resume made people _run_ so I tried to keep it under wraps. If I edited it to remove all the offensive material, _then_ I didn't have much of a resume. Also, any job that requires paperwork… not good. I hate paper trails. Paper trails make you traceable.

Even my apartment is under another name. Bruno doesn't kick me out because no matter how late I always pay the rent. But really, it's not even in my name. Am I paranoid? Maybe. But you're not paranoid when they're really after you, right? Right.

So I resumed my walk to Mac's Pawn shop and entered the place with a merry jingle of the door. I found a couple of guys, three total, inside harassing old man Mac. "I don't know… the rabbits come and go… merry go round, round and round…" He muttered, his toothless jaw quivering. When Mac dissolved into random phrases it usually meant he was scared out of his mind.

"Hey!" I called out and they turned to look at me. The minute I saw them I stilled, watching their familiar features dissolve into surprise and then glee. There were three men, one with dark hair and just as dark eyes dressed down in casual jeans and a simple jacket. The other two were rather tall and wiry looking, both brown hair and dressed casually... dangerous.

"Oh look it's the pretty girl!" The man with the dark hair who I recognized as Derek said. Derek and I… we have history, let's just say that. I felt my blood run cold and my hands twitched, feeling empty without a weapon. "Bill's been looking for you." He said to me and jerked his chin in my direction. "Get him boys." He ordered and the other two men rushed forward. I stepped back ripping the shop-door open and running out. I felt them grab at my braid but somehow they were unable to grasp it and I ran as fast as I could seeking crowds.

They yelled and called after me, their voices close. I pumped my arms, praying my legs won't give out under me and continued to run towards Downtown. I crossed a street against a light and almost got run over and then rushed past the _Glass Orchid_, my vision narrowing with fear of what would happen if they catch me.

Unfortunately they were faster than me, stronger than me, and healthier than me. Before I knew it they had wrapped a hand around my braid and pulled, forcing me to skid on the cement, skinning my knees and the front of my legs. It was starting to drizzle and I looked up at them through the small drops of water caught on my eyelashes.

"Please let me go." I said to them and their hand in my hair tightened. I yelped in pain when I felt a few hairs get ripped out by the root. "Please…" I begged.

"Call him." The guy with his hand in my hair ordered the other man and he whipped out a cell phone.

"Derek?" He said. "Yeah, we have him… In front of _Hasty Market_… Yeah we'll wait." He switched his cell off. "He's coming with a car. He's going to call Bill too." He informed the other guy.

At Bill's name I felt my panic rise and I renewed my efforts to get away, even wishing that I had a knife so I could cut my braid off and make a run for it. "Come on, please!" I begged them. "Please don't take me back there! Please, I'll do anything, please don't let Bill get me!" I ignored the ache in my legs where my jeans were staining with slowly seeping blood and tried to kick out at them.

They ignored me and with one kick to my shin had me howling in pain. I hyperventilated to the point of dry heaving onto the pavement. As soon as I got some breath in me I yelled, "Help! Somebody help me! Please!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Shut the fuck up." The cell phone guy snarled at me and tried to muffle my screams by covering my mouth with his hand. I bit him so hard that I tasted his blood in my mouth and then resumed screaming. He snatched his hand back with a 'Fucker bit me!'

"Let me go! Let me go you bastards!" I hollered. "Help! Somebody please help!" Around me I saw a guy dial on his cell as he noticed me and I hoped to god it was 911. Unfortunately my kidnappers noticed him too.

"I'd advice you to keep walking mister." They snarled at him and he paled. He quickly turned and walked the other way.

"No! No! Please don't leave!" I called at him and instead got my braid yanked again. "Damnit!" As a last ditch effort I twisted around and latched onto his thigh, biting hard through his dirty denim and feeling my canines sink into his flesh. He screamed with pain and the other guy sucker punched me, forcing me to let go of his partner's thigh in order to catch my breath again.

"How long?" The one holding me captive barked, inspecting the wound on his thigh, and the other pulled his cell phone out again. I didn't hear his conversation while I tried to get air back in my lungs. My captor seemed happy with the answer though and he pushed my head back so that I was looking up at him. "He'll be here soon you little bitch!" He growled at me.

Just as he was saying that I saw a car pull up to the curb, a sleek black one and out came Bill, just as wide and tall as I remembered him with a balding head and two gold teeth in place of his top front teeth. He had thick black rimmed glasses and he was sporting a horribly clashing purple suit. "Duo! My pretty baby, where have you been? Good to see you're back on your knees!"

See, _he's_ the reason I'm afraid of paper trails.

I spat a big glob of saliva laced with his henchman's blood at him and it landed on his rather large stomach.

"Just as frisky I see." He said jovially, producing a napkin out of his pocket and cleaning up the spit stain easily. "My clients have been asking for you, you know? You're rather hard to forget."

"Please don't! I don't want to do that again, please!" I begged him and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You know… maybe you can _persuade_ me." He leered at me, his hand ghosting over his crotch. I swallowed thickly and then shot him a withering glare. I knew his game. He'd make me blow him, and then say 'compelling argument, but I'm not convinced' and then he'll take me away _anyway_.

"Go fuck yourself." I hissed at him and he laughed.

"Such a dirty mouth on you." He said and then jerked his head towards the car, "Put him in the car." He ordered his men and I was hauled into a standing position by my hair.

Just as I had resigned myself to my fate I heard the distinct wail of a police siren and I saw the panicked looks the three men passed each other. Halleluiah!

Elbowing the guy behind me I twisted, making it difficult for them to get me in a position to push me into the car. "Hurry!" Bill said and stuffed himself into the backseat. The other guy tried to grab my legs and push me in But I shot out both my arms and grabbed onto the car, keeping them from closing the door. Kicking my legs I managed to nail one in the face and the other in the stomach. I yelled loudly, hearing the sirens come even closer and in a desperate effort the guy tried to knock me out by slamming my head into the car's side. It didn't work, although it gave me a colossal headache.

Just a little longer and the police will be here.

With a guttural cry I hauled all my weight backwards tripping the guy and causing them to land in a heap. As the cop car screeched to a halt they let go of me abruptly.

"Go! Go! Go!" One of the henchmen cried and they piled into the car as it peeled away from the curb, skidding around a corner and disappearing from sight.

Relief so strong flooded into me that I sank to my knees. Honestly, which god did I piss off to deserve this?

"Are you all right son?" A kind looking, middle-aged cop with greying hair and soft eyes kneeled down next to me, rubbing my back comfortingly and I found myself shaking. He spoke briefly into a walkie-talkie, something with numbers and stuff. "Don't worry, I got their license number, we'll find them."

"M-may I use your… umm…" I frowned, my mind blank. "Uh…" I thought hard for what I wanted but the word kept escaping me.

"Do you need to go to the hospital? We can drop you off?" The cop offered and I shook my head.

"I'm okay." I said getting up, my trembling subsiding a little. "I just… home…" I said, stuffing my shaking hands into my jacket pocket.

"Do you need me to drop you off? I can come over later and fill out a complaint form."

"No!" I said a little too quickly, fearful that he'll come with me and see Heero Yuy and then arrest him and stuff. "I mean… I'm okay, I just need to lie down. I live nearby." I said. "Th-thanks for coming…"

"We got an anonymous call telling us a man was being harassed here. I was the closest." The officer explained and I gave him a shaky smile. The guy who they had threatened may have made that call anyway. God I could _kiss_ him!

"You have someone home with you? Take care of you?" The officer asked me and I saw that he was genuinely concerned.

My thoughts drifted to Heero waiting at home, but I didn't expect much comfort from him. "Yeah… yeah I'm good." I said to him, nodding.

"Are you sure?" He asked me again and I gave him another smile, a little more genuine this time.

"Yes, really. Thank you." I said to him and he patted me on the back.

"Just drop in at the police station and we'll take a statement okay?" He said to me and I nodded at him, already planning on skipping that. "You sure you don't want me to drop you off?"

"I'm sure, thanks." I said jogging lightly away from him, ignoring the way my jeans snagged painfully on the torn skin of my shin and knees. He stayed standing there for a little bit longer before getting in his car and pulling away.

Now I just needed to call Quatre… maybe he wouldn't mind dropping in for a few minutes. _Phone!_ That's right, that's the word I had been looking for earlier! I spied a payphone at the corner of the next street and I squashed down the paranoia of the guys waiting around the corner to ambush me. Stubbornly I headed towards the red box, fighting the creeping anxiety.

I got to about fifteen feet of the booth before I turned tail and ran towards my apartment, obsessively checking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed. I dashed through the front doors of the building, not bothering with the fire escape and banged my fists against my apartment's front door when it refused to budge.

I needed to be inside. _Now!_

The door jerked open to a confused Heero who immediately noticed my anxious expression and my bloody jeans.

"Duo! Are you okay? What happened?" He asked me and I stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind me and bolting it for good measure.

"Could you call Quatre please?" I asked him, sinking down to my bed and trying to control the inevitable panic attack. I hadn't had one in ages, not counting the one provoked by _Steve McQueen_ running off with my wallet, and I didn't want to have one in front of Heero Yuy.

"What happened?" He asked me instead and I pulled at my hair, feeling my scalp sting with the memory of the ripped out hair.

"Just call Quatre please." I begged him, wanting him to just call my best friend so I could cry onto his shoulder rather than be forced to explain everything to him.

He nodded and then looked around a little confused before asking, "Uh… where's your phone?"

I looked up at him through my bangs, feeling irrationally angry at him. "I don't own one fucktard. Now go downstairs to Bruno and ask him for a goddamned phone!"

Heero put on the bitch-face again at the insult and his eyes narrowed at me. "You know if I go down there they'll recognize me."

I swallowed around the lump in my throat, my head throbbing horribly with frustration and now anger as well. "Fine. Fuck you. I'll go down myself." I spat at him and got up, my wounded knees protesting the movement. "God forbid anyone ask Mr. Heero Yuy to do anything." I muttered to myself.

"Don't blame me, it's not _my_ fault you went and got into a fight." He said sounding annoyed and I felt like kicking the shit out of him. Instead I just pushed him to the side and walked out of the apartment, managing to keep my back straight and all traces of pain invisible until I was out of sight. Flinching and wincing my way downstairs I knocked on Bruno's door.

"Who is it?" He called out.

"It's Duo. I need your phone." I said to him loudly in order to be heard across the door. My voice came out hoarse and raspy due to the screaming had done earlier.

"Rent first—" He started but I interrupted him.

"Just… I don't feel like fighting right now. I need the phone man, please?" I called out sagging against the doorway. I heard him unlock the door and open it just a sliver and he watched me through it.

"What the fuck happened to you?" He asked me and I gave him a lopsided grin.

"Phone?" I asked again and he nodded, handing me a cordless receiver.

"Just bring it back when you're done." He said to me and I nodded my thanks to him. He closed the door behind him and I went to the side, sitting down on the first few steps of the stairwell.

I dialled Quatre's number from memory and sighed in relief when Quatre picked up. "Hello?"

"Quatre…" I said.

"Duo? What happened to your voice? Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?" He asked quickly, worry evident in his voice.

"I was screaming, I'm fine and yes please?" I answered his questions with a small smile and I heard Quatre ask Rashid to take the car out.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Bill found me." I told him and there was silence on the other side for a few tense moments.

"And Derek?"

"Him too."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes okay? I'll be right there." He said and ended the call. I put the phone down to the side, curling my legs to my chest, ignoring the scrape of the rough denim against torn skin and wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my chin on them.

Bill… and Derek… They must have a general idea of where I am now. I'll have to be careful where I go and who I talk to. They'll be looking for me. They're nothing if not persistent.

'_Oh look, it's the pretty girl.'_ Derek's words rang in my ears and I shivered.

"I'm not a fucking girl." I muttered even though it was too late to actually retort to it. "Girl, girl, girl… if he wants a fucking girl then he can go get a fucking hooker, leave me out of his stupid mind games and dress up and crap." I ranted, my volume reducing until I was more or less mumbling to myself, the words dissolving into incoherency.

By the time I realised I probably looked like a mad man, talking to myself like this, I was on the verge of tears. Oh god what I wouldn't give to go back three years and change everything.

* * *

A/N: So, I outlined this story, and I think it may turn out to be much MUCH longer than originally anticipated (currently, halfway point occurs somewhere after 16 chapters). This one's here for the long haul. Is that good or bad depends on how much I mess this over!

Thanks for reading! Review please? They make my day!  
Take care,  
Persephone


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